Welcome to Proverbs 31 Wannabe where Alexis Heaslip, a stay at home mother of two and follower of Jesus, shares her personal walk with Christ. Her goal is to help women explore the Bible and walk with Jesus by being a Proverbs 31 Wannabe. Today we are exploring Alexis’ go-to Bible verse and how you can have one too! 

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1 February 2023

MY GO-TO VERSE AND HOW YOU CAN FIND ONE TOO

1. PODCAST INTRO (1-2 MINUTES)

Start with podcast music to set the stage (appx. 15 seconds before speaking.)

1. Voice Introduction
   1. Hi there and welcome to Proverbs31 Wannabe where we discuss biblical womanhood in our constantly busy and sometimes crazy daily life. I’m Alexis Heaslip and as a wife and mother of two, I am always striving and praying to be a Proverbs 31 woman of faith. Today  is really exciting because I am going to be sharing with y’all my go to verse and how you can find your own go to verse. Let’s dive on in.  
   1. Theme music (10 second segue) 
2. TOPIC 1: MY GO-TO VERSE: EXODUS 14:14
   1. How I found My Verse
      1. So funny enough, I wasn’t looking for a go-to verse when this verse jumped out at me and grabbed my heart. A little over a year and a half ago I decided I was going to read through the whole Bible from cover to cover for a second time around. The difference was I was not going to rush myself for how much I would read. The first time I did this I did a year plan, but it felt rushed and I did not have time to digest what I was reading. So this time around I chose to not put a limit for how long it would take me. I was in the middle of the book of Exodus reading something that was so familiar, I could tell the story in my sleep- the story of the Israelites fleeing Pharaoh and going to cross the Red Sea. It’s easy when you’ve heard a story a million times to just gloss over it- but this time around I read it with a critical eye and I was shocked at the things that stood out to me. If you would open your Bibles to Exodus 14 and I will start us at verse 5. The Bible says:
         1. “When word reached the king of Egypt that the Israelites had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds. “What have we done, letting all those Israelite slaves get away?” they asked. So Pharaoh harnessed his chariot and called up his troops. He took with him 600 of Egypt’s best chariots, along with the rest of the chariots of Egypt, each with its commander. The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so he chased after the people of Israel, who had left with fists raised in defiance. The Egyptians chased after them with all the forces in Pharaoh’s army—all his horses and chariots, his charioteers, and his troops. The Egyptians caught up with the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near Pi-hahiroth, across from Baal-zephon. As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the Lord, and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’” But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will charge in after the Israelites. My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops, his chariots, and his charioteers. When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the Lord!””
         1. Exodus 14:5-18 NLT

I know that there’s a lot to unpack here, and I want you to turn your focus to verse 14. This is the verse that stood out to me immediately and tug on my heart. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm. Wow. It’s easy to sit back on our couch and judge the Israelites while reading this passage. You might be thinking to yourself “gee, after all that God has done for them, from the plagues to the Passover, you would think that they would have some faith and trust in God to provide for them. What’s wrong with those people? Don’t they remember all the different thinks the Lord has already done for them?” 

After having those thoughts and reflecting, I realized that I am just as guilty as the Israelites. How many times have I questioned God’s plan in my life? Just the other day I was whining about my family’s situation with trying to buy a house and how impossible it seems. How quick I was to forget to be thankful for everything God has already provided for my family. Although we are renting, we are in a house not an apartment. We have a nice roof over our heads. We have plenty of food to eat. We have an amazing family as well as an amazing church family to raise our children around. Although we have all these blessings, I was still complaining because I forgot who is in charge. That’s why I love Exodus 14:14 so much: it constantly reminds me that it is the Lord who is in control, not me. He will fight for you in every circumstance of life, you just have to put your trust in him and be still. This verse also reminds me that God loves me and will never leave me. Just like the Israelites, I have let my emotions take over and get the best of me. I have had times where I felt like the worst is on me and there is no help or hope. But when I get into that negative headspace, I don’t have to stay there. I can bring to my mind this verse, and reflecting on it pulls me out of this negativity that is so easy to get trapped in and come back into the peace that is in Jesus. 

• Segue: I’m so glad that God showed me this verse. And you can find a go-to verse for yourself as well. Let’s now explore how you can find your own go-to verse.
• TOPIC 2: FINDING YOUR VERSE
  • Pray and Read
    • It’s amazing to me how the Lord knew what verse I needed to guide, remind, rebuke, and love on me throughout my day to day life. I still turn to this verse every single day and it’s had such a positive impact on my day to day routines. So here are some ways that you can find a go-to verse to meditate on day and night. 
      • Pray- The first step to find your go-to verse is to pray. Ask the Lord to speak to you through His word. Talk to Jesus about your hopes, dreams, fears, and goals. He wants to guide us to be in line with His will and He will respond to your prayers. A prayer for guidance can be something like this “God, thank you for giving us your Word so that we can be guided. Thank you for not leaving us without any knowledge of You and what your will is. I come asking for guidance Lord, I ask that you show me a verse that can be a go-to verse for me. A verse that I can meditate on day and night so that I draw nearer to you. Thank you, Lord. Amen.” It might take some time, but your prayer will be answered. It’s ok to be consistent in this prayer and you can come back to this prayer daily until He lays on your heart a verse that is your go-to.
      • Read- The next step you need to take to find your go-to verse is reading your Bible. Now you don’t have to do what I did and read the Bible from cover to cover right away. But I do challenge you to start with a book of the Bible that you aren’t as familiar with. Many people that I know and myself included, are much more familiar with the New Testament than the Old Testament because Jesus is the direct focus of the New Testament with His direct teachings and the stories of the early church are found there as well. Although most people probably know the big stories from the Old Testament, there is so much more to the first half of the Bible than David, Moses, and Abraham.  Try reading a book in the Old Testament that you aren’t as familiar with such as Joel or Haggai or even Leviticus. Trust me- there are a lot of things in those books of the Bible that are inspiring, surprising, and most importantly there are things in those books that point to Jesus. Once you have chosen a book of the Bible to start with, don’t feel like you have to read a lot at one time. Just take a couple of verses a day and pray over those verses before your read and after you read. One prayer that I like to say before reading the Word is simple and goes like this “open the eyes of my heart Lord so I can learn more about You.” When I have prayed this prayer and then read in the Word, I seem to be more focused and learn so much about God and His plan for us. And the good news is that you don’t have to rush it- take your time. So what if you only read three verses in a day. There’s nothing wrong with reflecting on those verses and asking questions and doing research on them. It’s not a race for head knowledge- it’s a slow and steady walk with the Lord that blossoms over time. You can also use some tools to help you on this journey of reading the Word.  Some helpful items to have while reading the Word can be a highlighter for when something sticks out to you, a notebook or notepad to write out questions you have or thoughts you have while reading the Word, colored pencils if you like to do creative journaling, and sticky notes if you are wanting to write a quote or a scripture reference to put into your Bible. These are just some of the ways that I use to dive into Scripture and God will show you a verse that can be your go-to.  
• OUTRO (2-3 MINUTES)
  • Recap: I am just thrilled that I got to share with you my go-to verse and how you can choose a verse for yourself. It’s amazing how the Holy Spirit moves our hearts back to what’s important when we take the time to be still and let the Lord fight for us. Thank you, Lord for giving us your Word and the ability to use it to know You more intimately.   
    • Music segue 
  • Call to action:  Thanks to listening to Proverbs31 Wannabe. We hope you enjoyed the program. If you enjoy our show, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts—and be sure to come back next week as we continue our discussion about why you should be a proverbs31 wannabe. Until then, this is Alexis Heaslip, and I hope you have a great rest of your day. God bless. 
  • Closing theme